Freeranger Eggs is a free range egg farm at Grantville in the southern Australian state of Victoria. Our hens are never locked up, they are fed a natural diet of grains with no additives - and they are not beak-trimmed.
The only reason for removing the top part or even the tip of the beak is that when hens are confined in small spaces and in large numbers they often become aggressive and attack each other. On a true free range farm with plenty of space, all birds have full beaks.

Wednesday, November 04, 2015

Consumers and egg farmers have more time to have a say on the labelling of free-range eggs.
The federal government has decided to extend the period for written submissions from November 2 to November 27 after receiving a significant public response.
"It is important that all relevant stakeholders views are heard and that there is adequate time to provide those views to governments," Assistant Treasurer Kelly O'Dwyer said.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Despite all the political bickering in Canberra over emissions trading scheme targets, some small businesses and farms have been getting on with the task of mitigating the impact of carbon emissions. At Freeranger Eggs, the farm's carbon footprint is limited by imposing a food miles policy for deliveries, using recycled materials and equipment whenever possible, using solar power and mechanical processes - such as collecting eggs by hand and hand cultivation of the farm vegetable garden - as well as an effective waste reduction program.
As a result, the 1200 - chook farm generates only about 60 tonnes of CO2 each year.
But it is better than carbon neutral, it is carbon positive. The average organic matter in soil tests was 4.1 per cent in 2004, in 2006 it was 6.0 per cent, and in 2009 it was 7.9 percent. Calculations based on 2-inch deep samples, show that over those five years the farm sequestered about 14 tons of CO2 per acre or four tonnes of carbon per acre on the grasslands. Further testing and calculations have not been conducted because there has been a total lack of interest in the results.
The farm applies no chemical fertilisers, herbicides, or pesticides and this policy increases the biological life in the soil and increases the rate of carbon sequestration. All manure is spread on the pastures and in the farm vegetable garden, minimising methane emissions. Rotational grazing is practised on the pastures which has a variable effect with each rotation – taking advantage of photosynthesis to pull CO2 into the plants and then into the roots from where it transfers to the soil.
In addition, every year at least another tonne of CO2 per acre continues to be sequestered by the regular growth and replacement of Kangaroo Apples in the main paddocks.
Native vegetation has been protected on approximately 100 acres of the property and regeneration there sequesters a further tonne of CO2 per acre.
This brings a grand total of 1500 tonnes of CO2 sequestered on this property over five years – an average rate of 300 tonnes per year compared with the farm's carbon output of around 60 tonnes.
On days of full sun the solar panels on the farm shed generate 13 - 17kW of electricity a day and as on average the farm consumes just 9kW a day it helps the bottom line.
How's that for being carbon positive! A net carbon benefit of 240 tonnes of CO2 per year from just one farm.
Full details on the farm website www.freeranger.com.au

Friday, October 23, 2015

Genuine, small scale free range egg farmers may be forced out of business if Ministers for Fair Trading adopt some of the options being considered for the definition of 'free range'
Here's a guidance document from Choice about New 'free range' standards. http://www.treasury.gov.au/~/media/Treasury/Consultations%20and%20Reviews/Consultations/2015/Free%20range%20egg%20labelling/Key%20Documents/PDF/free_range_egg_labelling_RIS.ashx
If adopted, the exclusions on pages 20 and 21 would make the exercise useless. The big boys will keep doing what they are now. Compliance costs for small producers will be enormous - at least an additional $2000 per farm per year and we will have to add information on our labels. Effectively, if the possible exclusions are allowed it will just enable major producers to keep conning consumers.
Of the options presented, the best is Option 1. to maintain the status quo and allow the ACCC to continue prosecuting those producers who make false claims and mislabel their eggs. One helpful addition to that would be to ensure that penalties are applied to each breach – so that for a business selling a million dozen falsely labelled eggs, the fine should be multiplied by a million.
By far the best choice for Ministers is to enshrine into law the Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals – Domestic Poultry. That will provide clarity and certainty for the industry and consumers.
Any definition needs to be simple and clear cut with measurable standards. Once variables and exclusions are introduced, loopholes are created which will be exploited in exactly the same way as currently happens. Unless the standards are simple to audit, the process will be extremely complex and costly.
Submissions can be lodged on line at http://www.treasury.gov.au/…/…/2015/Free-range-egg-labelling

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Major egg producers have organised their submission to the Federal Government and State Ministers for Consumer Affairs on production standards for free range eggs.
Their proposal (if accepted by the Ministers) would make it even easier for unscrupulous egg producers to dupe consumers and provide them with some protection from prosecution by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
Their views run counter to those of free range egg farmers – and many consumers.
Here is the media release from Egg Farmers Australia with their propsed definition:
16 October 2015
AUSTRALIAN EGG FARMERS UNITED ON FREE RANGE
Representatives of Egg Farmers Australia have reaffirmed their unity on a definition for free range in response to the Consultation Regulation Impact Statement on Free Range egg labelling (RIS).
Representatives from Egg Farmers Australia met in Sydney yesterday (Thursday) to discuss an industry response to the RIS and affirmed that they were united in their approach.
EFA spokesperson John Coward said: “Australian egg farmers are committed to getting consumers the egg they want with information they understand. We want consumers to have complete confidence in the production systems which underpin free range and the labelling that is used to describe those eggs. “
“I want every consumer to know that Egg Farmers Australia has heard the calls for clarity. And we have responded.
“Today, farmers from across Australia stand together and call for an end to the confusion on free range eggs. We are proud of the eggs we produce and we stand behind our production systems.
“Our farms do not exist without our customers - earning and retaining their confidence is core business for us.
“As a result of our meeting we have agreed to ask Treasury to formally legislate in Australian Consumer Law the EFA definition of free range.
“Our definition is that laying hens have access to and are free to roam and forage on an outdoor range area during daylight hours in a managed environment.
“Getting the definition right is a critical one for our industry - it’s important to strike a balance between providing surety for our farmers and transparency for our consumers,” Mr Coward concluded.
EFA members are the Victorian Farmers’ Federation Egg Group, NSW Farmers’ Association Egg Committee, Commercial Egg Producers Association of Western Australia, Tasmanian Commercial Egg Producers Association, Queensland United Egg Producers and South Australian Local Egg Section.
Media Contact: John Coward
john.coward1@gmail.com or 0407 622 166
Anyone who would like to express an opinion on what they think 'free range' should mean, please make a submission to the Government enwquiry. You can do that on line at
http://www.treasury.gov.au/ConsultationsandReviews/Consultations/2015/Free-range-egg-labelling

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Now's your chance to help create a realistic definition for the eggs you choose to buy,
The Federal Government is undertaking a consultation period which ends on November 2 to help Ministers establish effective egg labelling laws. The most important change is to ensure thefre is a clear and simple definition for free range eggs.
The consultation aims to gather additional evidence on the extent of the problem and the likely impacts of the proposed policy options including likely costs and benefits to consumers, producers and other stakeholders. The evidence will then be used to assess the regulatory impact of any information standard.
You can make an online submission here:http://www.treasury.gov.au/ConsultationsandReviews/Consultations/2015/Free-range-egg-labelling
Our view is staightforward - enshrine the Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals - Domestic Poultry, that's all the Ministers need to do to drive the crooks out of the industry and give consumers certainty when they buy eggs. The last thing all of us in the industry need is more labelling regulations - there is already too much clutter on labels. Suggestions that producers should include a chicken stocking density on the label is absurd. As long as a density is legislated, that's all that's needed. Unscrupulous producers currently put anything they like on their labels even though the claims are false. So adding a stocking density on labels will not provide any more certainty for consumers. Shonky producers will not hesitate to include a false stocking density if required by new regulations.

Tuesday, October 06, 2015

In many opinions, Western society has been in decline for decades (if not centuries) but we do seem to be heading towards the abyss at an ever increasing speed.
Australia is probably a reasonable reflection of what is happening elsewhere (at least if the drivel in newspapers and on television is any guide.
There is little real political choice when it comes to elections as all party hacks scramble for the 'middle ground' In Australia there is virtually nothing to choose on economic policies between the Liberal/National coalition government and the Labor opposition. Both also have almost identical policies on defence (which would better be described as aggression). They both endorse any action required by the US.
Despite claimed financial constraints, unlimited funds are always found for military adventures. Politicians are happy to send young men to fight, even if the wars are unwinnable – such as Afghanistan and the current Middle East debacle.
The whole IS fiasco is a result of the actions of the US, Britain and Australia. Following the intervention in Afghanistan, the invasion of Iraq and the destabilisation of Libya and Syria the world has been embroiled in terrorist activities.
The whole system of western governments is dominated by economics. All activities are reduced to a dollar value.
The chase for ever-increasing GDP and all other financial indicators locks us in to a perpetual spiral of booms and busts). There may be a few years of growth between the cycles such as between the 1930's depression and the recent so-called Global Financial Crisis – brought about by corporate greed and political stupidity.
Continual economic growth is not possible, but no politician is brave enough to admit it.
Steady State Economics presents a different view of how we could run the world, instead of chasing the illusion of perpetual growth. It offers the concept of an economy that is completely sustainable. A community with a size and structure that doesn't grow, but remains stable to match the limits of the natural environment and its resources.
Steady State Economics presents a different view of how we could run the world, instead of chasing the illusion of perpetual growth. It offers the concept of an economy that is completely sustainable. A community with a size and structure that doesn't grow, but remains stable to match the limits of the natural environment and its resources.
Greed and self-interest led to the last global financial meltdown. It was an inevitable result of Government policies, big business demands, and mass gullibility. It will happen again (and again) unless Governments, industrialists, commercial interests and individuals choose a different path from the God 'growth'. The same greed resulted in a pathetic and useless outcome from the climate change talks in Copenhagen. It has also brought us the fiscal nonsense of 'quantitative Easing', derivatives trading and the crooked financial advisers favourite con of 'margin lending'.
Traditionally, economics taught in our universities has been based on an assumption that continuous growth is the only way to generate a better life for everyone on the planet. It argues that growth will raise living standards, lift people out of poverty whilst the cycle of supply and demand will solve environmental problems and the depletion of world resources. The classic view is that exponential growth is good and fast growth is even better.
Advocates of steady-state economics dispute this view. One of the first was John Stuart Mill in the 19th century and he has been followed by people like Herman Daly who maintains that the economy is a subset of our ecosystem. The global ecosystem is finite, a closed system which cannot grow. Matter neither enters nor leaves it. The ecosystem also provides the economy’s resources and a sink for its wastes. Continuous growth forces a collapse in the ecosystem which then becomes unable to support the economy and the community.
Some who question the current economic system, note that the ecology of the planet is increasingly under pressure, with natural resources such as forests, fish stocks, minerals and soil being depleted at alarming rates. Land for food production is increasingly scarce and pollution levels are making water and air unusable or unsafe.

Sunday, October 04, 2015

How dare the Americans criticise Russia for bombing terrorists in Syria when US-led coalition forces deliberately targetted a hospital in Afghanistan.
Enough is enough, the Australian Government should immediately withdraw its support for military action in the Middle East which is doing nothing but increase tensions, resentment and even hatred for our western so-called civilisation. The most effective way to counter the radicalisation of Muslim youths is to stop killing people in the Middle East. Australians have no business being there, The rise of ISIL can be directly related to the war in Afghanistan, the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and the destabilisation of Libya and Syria. It is the fault of our Government, the US and UK. We will all be paying a terrible price for years to come. Quite apart from the human pain caused by generating this conflict, the financial cost is horrendous. Australian can easily save more than $15 billion a year by scaling down our military extravagances. A realistic look at Australia's defence requirements, taking likely threats into account, demonstrates where significant savings could be made. We currently do not have a defence department or a Defence Minister, they are rather a War Department and Minister. A strategic look at our defence requirements is what's needed for the Government to get a grip on reality.

Tuesday, September 29, 2015

To help encourage all State Ministers for Fair Trading to approve an effective national standards to define free range egg production Consumer Group Choice has launched a campaign designed to raise awareness see here

Saturday, September 26, 2015

The Australian Government has come to its senses and recognised that our absurd policy on the Middle East had to change. There is no way that our military action can be sustained - or justified. Comments by Julie Bishop suggest that rather than bomb the crap out of Syria, Australia may now work with the Syrian Government to address the problem of ISIL That's what we should have been doing all along, especially as ISIL is a creation of the military action of the US, Australia and the UK in Afghanistan and Iraq.Russian support for the Syrian regime forced our Government's hand and will also change US policy. Once Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow to talk about ways to ensure that Russian and Israeli fighters avoided conflict, the US and Australia had to follow suit or face up to the prospect of having jets shot out of the air. Our politicians have a lot to answer for.The Assad regime is the legitimate government in Syria, It makes no difference what thugs think in the US, Australia or the UK. In many views, the biggest war criminals in the Middle East have been George W Bush, John Howard and Tony Blair.

Thursday, September 24, 2015

It's great that Australia's new Treasurer has a realistic approach to the country's financiaol position. Scott Morrison's recognition that the Government has an expenditure problem rather than a revenue problem is refreshing.
For far too long, Governments have simply looked at raising taxes to fund their excesses.
At Budget time it has been easier to work from the status quo and increase the dollars to be spent – simply to satisfy departmental bureacrats who always want their empires to expand.
A better approach is to start with a blank canvass and work out the goals required before determining the actions needed and the related costs.
The annual defence budget for example is around $30 billion but there seems to have been little examination surrounding the actual direct threats to Australia. Expenditure appears to have been allocated on the basis of hysteria, the self-interest of our military hierachy and the bizarre notion that we have to fight a costly and unwinnable war in the Middle East at the behest of the US.
A rational look at each major expenditure item in Australia's budget is long overdue and will almost certainly result in significant savings which will reduce the need for tax increases.

Monday, September 14, 2015

The free trade agreement with China could soon see restrictions lifted on the importation of shell eggs. and as China is about to become the biggest egg producer in the world, it could decimate some of the big producers here in Australia.
China egg production gets into full swing
The establishment of large scale battery farms has pushed egg production in China to 40 per cent of the world total. In turn increased interest in egg-based foods, such as dairy products, pre-packaged foods and bakery have all boosted per capita consumption to amongst the highest in the world, says the latest report from Access Asia.

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Hopefully the Australian Federal Government won't succeed in bullying State Premiers to agree to increase and extend the GST.It would grossly unfair for it to charged o0n fresh food and medical costs. The solution to the Government's financial problems is fairly simple – Slash unnecesary spending. Withdraw all our troops from the Middle East (that will also be a great step in countering the radicalisation of Muslim youths. Cut our so-called Defence budget and Department by 50% and slash the travel and other entitlements for politicians and senior bureaccrats aslso by 50%. That would result in annual savings of around one billion dollars and help to get the Budget back on track.

Sunday, June 07, 2015

We understand that all State Ministers for Consumer Affairs/Fair Trading will meet this Friday (June12) to decide on a standard or legal definition for free range egg production. If they reach agreement, the standard will apply nationally.
It is not known what drafts have been prepared for the Ministers to consider, but it is hoped that any enforceable standard will be based on the Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals (Domestic Poultry)which sets limits on stocking densities and prohibits beak trimming as a normal procedure.
It will be useful if the standard reflects the voluntary standard in South Australia, and the Federal Court ruling on free range egg production.

Friday, June 05, 2015

We
are often asked if our eggs are washed. The answer is NO. There is no
need for eggs to be washed on a properly managed farm.If nest boxes
and sheds are clean, and there is no build-up of mud and manure
around sheds, the eggs will be clean. But the problem is massive in
barns housing many thousands of birds.Many of the eggs will be laid
on floor, in manure perhaps a foot deep. More
than 95% of eggs sold in Victoria are washed – but the process
which is claimed to reduce bacterial entry into the eggs can actually
increase the risk of contamination.

The washing process is
often poorly supervised, but there are approved chemicals and
quantities which are supposed to be used.

Chlorine
based detergent is recommended in all egg washers.In
the right concentrations it can be effective
in removing debris and microorganisms from the shell of the egg,
Quaternary
ammonia based products are used forfinal
sanitation and
a defoamer
is added
to controlexcessive
foam in the washer

Thursday, May 28, 2015

In
many opinions, Western society has been in decline for decades (if
not centuries) but we do seem to be heading towards the abyss at an
ever increasing speed.

Australia
is probably a reasonable reflection of what is happening elsewhere
(at least if the drivel in newspapers and on television is any guide.

There
is little real political choice when it comes to elections as all
party hacks scramble for the 'middle ground' In Australia there is
virtually nothing to choose on economic policies between the
Liberal/National coalition government and the Labor opposition. Both
also have almost identical policies on defence (which would better be
described as aggression). They both endorse any action required by
the US.

Despite
claimed financial constraints, unlimited funds are always found for
military adventures. Politicians are happy to send young men to
fight, even if the wars are unwinnable – such as afghanistan and
the current Middle East debacle.

The
whole IS fiasco is a result of the actions of the US, Britain and
Australia. Following the intervention in Afghanistan, the invasion of
Iraq and the destabilisation of Libya and Syria the world has been
embroiled in terrorist activities.

The
whole system of western governments is dominated by economics. All
activities are reduced to a dollar value.

The
chase for ever-increasing GDP and all other financial indicators
locks us in to a perpetual spiral of booms and busts). There may be a
few years of growth between the cycles such as between the 1930's
depression and the recent so-called Global Financial Crisis –
brought about by corporate greed and political stupidity.

Continual
economic growth is not possible, but no politician is brave enough to
admit it.

Steady
State Economics presents a different view of how we could run the
world, instead of chasing the illusion of perpetual growth. It offers
the concept of an economy that is completely sustainable. A community
with a size and structure that doesn't grow, but remains stable to
match the limits of the natural environment and its resources.

Steady
State Economics presents a different view of how we could run the
world, instead of chasing the illusion of perpetual growth. It offers
the concept of an economy that is completely sustainable. A community
with a size and structure that doesn't grow, but remains stable to
match the limits of the natural environment and its resources.

Greed and self-interest led to
the last global financial meltdown. It was an inevitable result of
Government policies, big business demands, and mass gullibility. It
will happen again (and again) unless Governments, industrialists,
commercial interests and individuals choose a different path from the
God 'growth'. The same greed resulted in a pathetic and useless
outcome from the climate change talks in Copenhagen. It has also
brought us the fiscal nonsense of 'quantitative Easing', derivatives
trading and the crooked financial advisers favourite con of 'margin
lending'.

Traditionally, economics
taught in our universities has been based on an assumption that
continuous growth is the only way to generate a better life for
everyone on the planet. It argues that growth will raise living
standards, lift people out of poverty whilst the cycle of supply and
demand will solve environmental problems and the depletion of world
resources. The classic view is that exponential growth is good and
fast growth is even better.

Advocates of steady-state
economics dispute this view. One of the first was John Stuart Mill in
the 19th century and he has been followed by people like Herman Daly
who maintains that the economy is a subset of our ecosystem. The
global ecosystem is finite, a closed system which cannot grow. Matter
neither enters nor leaves it. The ecosystem also provides the
economy’s resources and a sink for its wastes. Continuous growth
forces a collapse in the ecosystem which then becomes unable to
support the economy and the community.

Some who question the current
economic system, note that the ecology of the planet is increasingly
under pressure, with natural resources such as forests, fish stocks,
minerals and soil being depleted at alarming rates. Land for food
production is increasingly scarce and pollution levels are making
water and air unusable or unsafe.

Saturday, May 23, 2015

A workshop on food safety on egg farms - particularly potential problem with food-borne illnessers like salmonella will be held in Melbourne on June 2. This is very timely given the deaths of two people and the hospitalisation of hundreds in Europe. .It also follows a salmonella incident in Victoria in February when hundreds were made ill after eating eggs at two restaurants. In Queensland there were 2000 cases in March this year.
The only problem with this workshop is that the people who most need to be there won't bother.

Saturday, May 16, 2015

It's
important for all egg farmers – large and small - to produce eggs
that present the lowest health risks for consumers. Production of
visibly clean eggs, free from dirt and faecal contamination, is the
primary concern in the supply of table eggs and it's not hard as long
as the farm has good flock management practices.For the shelf life of
an egg and from a food safety perspective, it is important to lower
the level of bacterial contamination on eggs. If there is an increase
in the number of bacteria present on the egg shell surface, the
chances rise of eggshell penetration and contamination of the egg
internally. Washing and sanitising are common practices on some farms
but studies on the quality of stored eggs has frequently shown that
washing increases the probability of spoilage.The cleaning of eggs by
washing has been widely condemned.

The
egg emerges from the cloaca moist and at a temperature of 41°C and
organic matter adheres to the moist shell and as it cools bacteria
can be drawn into the pores of the shell (Sexton, 2014). The
outermost layer of the shell is the cuticle. This is a non-calcified
proteinacious layer added to the shell just before it leaves the
uterus. The cuticle is responsible for the smooth, glossy appearance
of a freshly laid egg and the cuticle protects the egg from invasion
with microorganisms. On the surface of the cuticle are pores that
extend through the calcified layer to the egg membrane. These pores
are responsible for the exchange of gases (oxygen into the egg and
CO2 out) and loss of water vapour from the egg interior. A typical
hen’s egg contains 6,500 pores, with the greatest concentration of
pores at the blunt end of the shell over the air cell. The shell is
not considered to be a significant obstacle to bacterial penetration
although the underlying shell membranes are a more effective barrier
. It is a vulnerable package and may crack. Egg shell integrity
declines with increasing bird age.

At
oviposition, 90% of eggs are germ free. The eggshell can be
contaminated by any surface with which the egg comes in contact.
Faeces, water, caging material, nesting material, insects, hands,
broken eggs, dust on the egg belt, blood and soil are the most common
sources of eggshell contamination Eggs
become contaminated internally by two primary means, transovarian or
trans-shell contamination

Freshly
laid eggs may be contaminated through the oviduct and the presence
of certain bacterial species can indicative of an infected bird.
This is called vertical transmission, i.e., transovarian
transmission of Salmonella
spp., especially S. Enteritidis, which is dependent upon the
presence of infected ovaries and the migration of bacteria across
the vitelline membrane into the substance of the yolk during egg
formation. Vertical transmission occurs as a result of Salmonella
infection of the reproductive organs i.e. ovaries or oviduct and the
egg yolk membrane or albumen surrounding is directly contaminated.Salmonella
enteritidis
is not endemic in Australian laying flocks.

Horizontal
transmission, which can occur both before and after shell formation.
Infection of the inner egg can occur from the moment of ovulation
onwards until consumption. Trans-shell contamination involves the
initial contamination of the egg surface, followed by the subsequent
penetration by the microorganisms into the albumen or in some cases
directly into the yolk. Trans-shell movement of bacteria can occur
under the appropriate conditions of temperature, humidity etc in
spite of the number of defence mechanisms to limit the effects of
such an event

Washing
of eggs is rarely applied within the European Union, except by a few
packers in Sweden and one in the Netherlands however it is common in
the USA, Japan and here
inAustralia.
The practice of washing of eggs in Europe has been developed to clean
dirty eggs (grade B) however it seems
that in some countries where washing is practised it is seen as a
means of improving microbial quality and of reducing the risks of
infection of the internal egg.

.
In Australia the vast majority of eggs are washed prior to packing to
remove dirt and faecal material and in
an effort to
reduce the microbial contamination of the egg shell. However,
if the washing process is not carefully controlled, it c an actually
increaxse the level of contamination.

The
EU is concerned about egg washing and the possibility of
deterioration of the cuticle, which protects the egg against
dehydration and offers a natural barrier to common microorganisms,
and occasional pathogenic microorganisms, present in the flora that
colonise the surface of the egg. There is also concern in the EU and
in Australia that
washing is
used to cover up poor husbandry and hygiene standards on farms and in
packing centres.

Friday, May 08, 2015

The are strong moves to tighten up the rules on egg labelling in Australia - but there is still a long way to go before we get to a degree of honesty which helps to rebuild consumer confidence. We are not alone, very similar issues affect the industry overseas - particularly in the US and Europe. Here's a link to some info which demonstrates the problem.http://www.fix.com/blog/egg-health-production-and-labeling/ http://www.fix.com/blog/egg-health-production-and-labeling/
Itr is hoped that here, Ministers for Fair Trading and consumer Affairs will approve a national 'free range' standard when they meet next month.

Tuesday, May 05, 2015

With
the Federal Budget being brought down next week, it's time to
reflect on how things could be. When I arrived in Australia, Frank
Crean wasTreasurer - and things haven't improved since. Treasurers
take the same advice from incumbent bureaucrats and make the same
mistakes as their predecessors

Steady
State Economics presents a different view of how we could run the
world, instead of chasing the illusiuon of perpetual growth. It
offers the concept of an economy that is completely sustainable. A
community with a size and structure that doesn't grow, but remains
stable to match the limits of the natural environment and its
resources.

Greed
and self-interest led to the last global financial meltdown. It was
an inevitable result of Government policies, big business demands and
mass gullibility.It will happen again (and again)unless Governments,
industrialists, commercial interests and individuals choose a
different path from the God 'growth'. The same greed resulted in a
pathetic and useless outcome from the climate change talks in
Copenhagen.

Traditionally,
economics taught in our universities has been based on an
assumption that continuous growth is the only way to generate a
better life for everyone on the planet. It argues that growth will
raise living standards, lift people out of povertywhilst the cycleof
supply and demand will solve environmental problems and the depletion
of world resources. The classic view is that exponential growth is
good and fast growth is even better.

Advocates
of steady-state economics dispute this view. One of the first was
John Stuart Mill in the 19th century and he has been followed by
people like Herman Daly who maintains that the economy is a subset of
our ecosystem. The global ecosystem is finite, a closed system which
cannot grow. Matter neither enters nor leaves it. The ecosystem also
provides the economy’s resources and a sink for its wastes.
Continuous growth forces a collapse in the ecosystem which then
becomes unable to support the economy and the community.

Some
who question the current economic system, note that the ecology of
the planet is increasingly under pressure, with natural resources
such as forests, fish stocks, minerals and soil being depleted at
alarming rates. Land for food production is increasingly scarceand
pollution levels are making water and air unusable or unsafe.

The
idea of a steady state economy is a way of addressing the problems of
an unsustainable human society. Because the resources of the economy
are all derived from the natural environment, the ecological
dependence and the availability of natural capital means there are
strict limits to any growth. Instead of continuous growth and
'development', a steady state economy would have zero growth, at
sustainable levels of production and resource use. Renewable
resources would only be used at a natural replacement rate and
non-renewable resources would be used no faster than renewable
alternatives could be found. Limits would be needed for population
size, consumption, and the gathering of personal wealth. The steady
state would maintain the entire population at a comfortable level
which neither threatens the natural eco-systems and resources of our
world, nor forces people to live uncomfortable lifestyles.

One
definition of sustainability is to have a population and an economy
in equilibrium. The birth rate matches the death rate and commercial
activity is maintained at a constant level. If we reach this state,
the peaks and troughs of a demand-driven society expecting to make
more money this year than in the previous year will be a matter
of ancient folk lore

There
have been many arguments against the steady state theory. Oneis that
zero growth would result in a serious economic depression, high
unemployment and huge shortages. However, Daly counters this by
pointing out that such a depression is part of the design of the
current economic system. It's an inevitable consequence of chasing
growth. A steady state economy has an entirely different basis that
requires a smaller economy which better matches the availability of
resources. Under a steady state system there can be no shortage. Our
current economy has become far too large relative to the
ecosystems and it cannot be sustained at this level. Just as
economists and accountants teach that a business has an optimal scale
of operations, where the marginal revenue equals the marginal cost,
the optimal scale of the economy is where the marginal gain from
growth equals the marginal cost of growth – costs such as pollution
and resource depletion. It's clear that,over time, growth
generates more costs than benefits.

Implementing
the theory of steady state economics is inherently difficult. It
requires a total change of ideology for economists, consumers and
governments of developed and developing countries, and meets
strong opposition to what is seen as its extreme requirements. Their
whole thinking revolves around growth. It's hard to imagine the
mandarins in organisations like the World Bank, the International
Monetary Fund or any of the Government leaders in the G20 looking
kindly on any suggestion that they should stop worshipping growth.

But
Daly, along with many others has identified the most urgent step in
fixing the world's economic problems as cutting unfettered
growth. This demands limits on family size and allocating fixed
stocks of manmade capital.

The
world's population has outstripped the carrying capacity of the
earth. Steady state economics requires that the population be
stabilised at well below the natural carrying capacity, rather than
at that level. This means that resources will be better utilised and
lifestyles maintained at comfortable levels, rather than at low
standards of living. The gathering of personal wealth needs to be
limited to avoid over-consumption and waste that reduces the
food and other goods and services available to the wider
community.

In
order to achieve the steady state, the following steps have been
suggested to limit growth, stabilise populations and wind production
back to a sustainable level:

Apply
substantial taxes on fossil fuels, especially petrol – fossil
fuels are finite and reliance on them can therefore only be
temporary. There needs to be deterrents to using fossil fuels and
incentives for finding alternative sources of energy.

Abolish
subsidies encouraging fossil fuel use – fuel prices in many
countries are subsidized, so that the price reflects neither the
value, nor the finite nature of fossil fuels.

Price
water to reflect scarcity and encourage conservation –
over-consumption and wasteful use has resulted in scarcities of
drinkable water in many countries, both developed and undeveloped,
and the pollution of waterways.

Halt
immigration – in developed countries the natural population is
below the replacement rate and population growth comes largely from
immigration. Halting immigration will mean that local populations
will gradually decline naturally. It is also claimed that such a
move would have global benefits as immigrants from poor nations
living at even low standards of living in developed countries would
consume more than they would in their own countries.

Eliminate
subsidies to industrial agriculture – mass production of food,
through crowding or excessive use of fertilisers are already
revealing massive repercussions such as ‘mad cow’ disease,
declining soil fertility, and pesticide contamination of soil, water
and animals.

Abandon
globalization – this concept completely challenges economic
notions of free trade, as Daly argues that ‘by encouraging
consumption of cheap imports and pressuring domestic producers to
cut costs, makes it harder to set prices so as to reflect ecological
costs’ and domestic markets need to be protected from cheaper
imports to maintain sustainability.

Steady
State economics challenges the view that a traditional ever-growing
economy will lead to wide-spread global prosperity, including the
preservation of the environment through the mechanisms of supply and
demand.

Daly
concluded that increasing global wealth will never raise the living
standards of the poor, because the benefits of growth go to the
owners of surplus, who are not poor. Furthermore the need for surplus
will deplete all the natural resources and result in widespread
economic destruction. With a steady state economic system the
resources of the world can be maintained. The population would be
stabilised, growth would be brought to an end and the economy would
continue to draw on renewable resources but at completely sustainable
levels.

Is
superannuation just a con?

Any
investment that relies on tax concessions to make it effective should
be treated with great caution. And that's the main problem with
superannuation. It's a great way of generating a huge financial pool
with Governments, fund managers, investment advisers and merchant
bankers skimming off the top – but Joe Blow citizen at the bottom
of the pile has no guarantee that much will be left when he (or she)
needs it. The industry spruiks about it's financial performanceas
though it is something wonderful. However if you look at the figures
it really only works if there is continual growth which is not going
to happen.

In
the end its an elaborate sham, a lottery in which there are many
winners (such AS the fund mansgers) along the way. Some individuals
enjoy the benefits when they finally retire but there will be
many who don't receive anything like they expected. For them the
gamble won't pay off!

For
more on a "Steady State Economy" go to
http://learningforsustainability.net/susdev/steadystate.php

Monday, May 04, 2015

In
many opinions, Western society has been in decline for decades (if
not centuries) but we do seem to be heading for the abyss at an ever
increasing speed.

Australia
is probably a reasonable reflection of what is happening elsewhere
(at least if the drivel in the newspapers and on television is any
guide.

There
is little real political choice when it comes to elections as all
party hacks scramble for the 'middle ground' In Australia there is
virtually nothing to choose between the Liberal/National coalition
government and the Labor opposition. Both have completely insensitive
and vicious policies on refugees and identical policies on defence
(which would better be described as aggression). They both endorse
anything required by the US.

Despite
claimed financial constraints unlimited funds are always found for
military adventures. Politicians are always happy to send young men
to fight, even if the wars are unwinable – such as afghanistan and
the current Middle East debacle.

The
whole IS fiasco is a result of the actions of the US, UK and
Australia in the Middle East following the intervention in
Afghanistan, the invasion of Iraq and the destablisation of Libya and
Syria

The
whole system of western governments is dominated by economics. All
activities are reduced to a dollar value.

The
chase for ever-increasing GDP and all other financial indicators
locks us in to a perpetual spiral of booms and busts). There may be a
few years of growth between the cycles such as between the 1930's
depression and the recent so-called Global Financial Crisis –
brought about by corporate greed and political stupidity.

Continual
economic growth is not possible, but no politician is brave enough to
admit it.

Steady
State Economics presents a different view of how we could run the
world, instead of chasing the illusion of perpetual growth. It offers
the concept of an economy that is completely sustainable. A community
with a size and structure that doesn't grow, but remains stable to
match the limits of the natural environment and its resources.

Steady State Economics
presents a different view of how we could run the world, instead of
chasing the illusion of perpetual growth. It offers the concept of
an economy that is completely sustainable. A community with a size
and structure that doesn't grow, but remains stable to match the
limits of the natural environment and its resources.

Greed and self-interest led to the last global financial meltdown.
It was an inevitable result of Government policies, big business
demands, and mass gullibility. It will happen again (and again)
unless Governments, industrialists, commercial interests and
individuals choose a different path from the God 'growth'. The same
greed resulted in a pathetic and useless outcome from the climate
change talks in Copenhagen.

Traditionally, economics taught in our universities has been based
on an assumption that continuous growth is the only way to generate
a better life for everyone on the planet. It argues that growth will
raise living standards, lift people out of poverty whilst the cycle
of supply and demand will solve environmental problems and the
depletion of world resources. The classic view is that exponential
growth is good and fast growth is even better.

Advocates of steady-state economics dispute this view. One of the
first was John Stuart Mill in the 19th century and he has been
followed by people like Herman Daly who maintains that the economy
is a subset of our ecosystem. The global ecosystem is finite, a
closed system which cannot grow. Matter neither enters nor leaves
it. The ecosystem also provides the economy’s resources and a sink
for its wastes. Continuous growth forces a collapse in the ecosystem
which then becomes unable to support the economy and the community.

Some who question the current economic system, note that the ecology
of the planet is increasingly under pressure, with natural resources
such as forests, fish stocks, minerals and soil being depleted at
alarming rates. Land for food production is increasingly scarce and
pollution levels are making water and air unusable or unsafe.

About Me

With a background in journalism and public relations in the UK, Africa and Australia, I've been farming for over 30 years. I'm an Environmental Auditor and have been an egg industry auditor as well as a former President of the Free Range Egg and Poultry Association of Australia and the Free Range Farmers Association of Victoria.
Our farm has been designed for sustainable land management and we have a long involvement with Landcare. I have carried out regional flora and fauna surveys and have also run courses and lectured on community development, land management and run workshops on sustainability and setting up free range egg farms. .
The Freeranger Farm runs sheep, cattle and horses as well as laying hens - a genuine mixed farm. Everything on the farm is designed for minimal impact. As much as possible recycled materials are used, solar power helps to achieve our sustainability aims and the farm is not just carbon neutral - it is carbon positive.
Even our main shed, which includes the farm office, egg grading room, storage and maintenance facilities, was constructed mainly using recycled steel sections purchased at a farm clearing sale.